1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Background Art
A printed circuit board is provided with electrode pads for mounting electronic components or the like. When the electronic components or the like are mounted on the printed circuit board, soldering paste is applied onto the electrode pads (see JP 7-40675 A, for example). Terminals of the electronic components are reflow-soldered onto the electrode pads by using this soldering paste, thereby causing the electronic components to be mounted on the printed circuit board.
The soldering paste is applied onto the electrode pads by a screen printing, for example. In the screen printing, the soldering paste is applied onto the printed circuit board through a screen plate while the printed circuit board is fixed on a stage of a screen printing device. Thus, the soldering paste with its shape corresponding to the shape of opening of the screen plate is printed on each of the electrode pads.
In recent years, as electronic equipment and the like become more sophisticated, the electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board have been miniaturized. Thus, spacing between the electrode pads for mounting the electronic components has been narrower.
Therefore, when the soldering paste is printed on the electrode pads by a conventional screen printing method, the soldering paste on one electrode pad may come into contact with the soldering paste on another electrode pad adjacent thereto, causing a short circuit during the printing. Moreover, also when the electronic components are reflow-soldered onto the electrode pads, the soldering paste on one electrode pad may come into contact with the soldering paste on another electrode pad adjacent thereto.